From The Ashes
by Drew Skye
Summary: CAUTION: THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR RESIDENT EVIL 5 What happens after everyone comes home from it all?
1. Chapter 1

"It looks like we've got another day of thunderstorms tomorrow, and with the amount of rain we've been receiving there's a good chance for floods, so do be careful out there! Reporting live, Bryan Reynolds, Newschannel 8."

"Damn, it hasn't stopped raining since we got here." Chris said, staring at the falling rain through the curtain in the hotel room, actually paying attention to the television for once. Jill, on the other hand, had engrossed herself in a BSAA supplied laptop at the table in the small room. He smirked to himself as she continued typing furiously, either ignoring him or simply not having noticed his speaking.

The Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance had received an anonymous tip regarding Ozwell E. Spencer's whereabouts. Leading the investigation were agents Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield. Their unprecedented knowledge of the former bio-weapons producer and their personal experiences with it made them the perfect choice for apprehending the fugitive. They'd been sent to a hotel nearby Spencer's alleged residence and were preparing to make the arrest. They were both excited but anxious, and the emotions in the room were palpable. They were on the precipice of concluding a horrible chapter from both of their lives.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Jill said, looking up from the computer screen. Chris smiled, pointing to the window as he walked to the chair across from her. "It hasn't stopped raining since we've gotten here." She nodded and looked to the window, even though the curtain prevented her from seeing the rain.

"I know. We'll have to be careful to not let our boots squeak when we're looking for Spencer to arrest him."

***

Jill studied her appearance in the mirror, feeling as if she was looking at someone else. She carefully removed the curlers from her new blonde hair, careful not to pull too hard. It cascaded down past her shoulders, long even after curling it. From her understanding, spending time in the stasis tube and the device placed on her chest changed her hair color. She wasn't entirely convinced that it wasn't just Wesker's way of dehumanizing her that much more, making her a sick joke--a female version of him. She looked away from the mirror, having become disgusted with her hair.

Just a few weeks ago, she had regained control of her life. She had always been aware of herself before Chris tore that thing from her chest, but it was more like a bad dream. She knew she was hurting people, especially Chris. It had enraged her so much when he was yelling her name in pain that for a moment, she regained control--only to have Wesker up the dosage in the machine and win her over again. It was a very different kind of hell, watching herself work hand in hand with the person she swore to take down, and not being able to even scream. Her fingertips absentmindedly ran over the almost healed scabs on her chest with the thought.

Her memory was blank from the time she fell out of the window with Wesker until the device was placed in her chest. She never remembered being in the stasis tube, but she did notice any scars that used to be on her body before were now gone. Silently, Jill wondered how badly she was mangled when she hit the ground on that fall. There was no way she was unharmed. As they fell, she could hear Chris yell but couldn't understand what he said. It all became black soon after that.

_It wasn't really the fall that killed me, just the sudden stop at the end._

It was a morbid thought, but still was deserving of a chuckle. She picked up a small black pencil, and carefully colored the rims of her eyelids. Jill felt like an alien when Chris took her shopping, as so much had changed in just a few years. Even makeup was different. The BSAA officials were so surprised and intrigued when she had turned out to be alive, and when Chris took her to her gravestone they had a very emotional moment. There were still flowers he had placed on there from before he left for Africa. What do they call that when you die and then are resurrected? After killing so many zombies, Jill had become one.

Red lipstick was in again, according to the cosmetics representative at the department store. She put it on carefully, and pressed her lips together on a tissue to blot. She walked from the small bathroom to the room attached to it, picking up the black dress and stepping into it. Her hands slipped through the straps for her shoulders, and reached for the zipper on her back, to no avail. The sudden knock at the door startled her a bit, she had been taking her time.

"Come in," she called, knowing who it was. "It's open."

The door opened slowly and Chris walked in, stepping over the shopping bags that they had yet to throw away, and looked at Jill with a moment's expression of awe. She had been away from him for so long, but she never had forgotten that expression. Her cheeks got hot as she reached for the zipper yet again. Chris cleared his throat and fooled with the tie on his tuxedo.

"You look really nice," Jill said with a genuine smile. "You clean up well."

"Yeah, um…so do you. Actually, you look amazing."

With a flattered and perhaps awkward scoff, she fumbled with her zipper again. Throwing her hands down in defeat, she motioned him towards her and turned around, holding up her curled hair.

"Could you zip this for me, I can't do it to save my life."

Without a second's hesitation, he was behind her. Placing one hand at the small of her back, he zipped up the dress slowly, maybe too slowly. The dress hugged Jill's body, and she faced him again, letting her hair fall and frame her face. They looked at each other for a moment, without a word.

"Um, Are you ready?" Chris said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, let me grab my shoes really quick and we'll go."

She walked over to the shopping bags in the room, while Chris' eyes followed her. Slipping her feet into the red heels, she walked back past him to check her reflection one last time before they left. Chris wouldn't tell her what they were going to do, nor why she needed to be so dressed up. All he would tell her was that it was a very important dinner. She felt pretty, for once.

_Not bad for a dead woman._

And with that thought, Jill took Chris' arm and they walked out of his apartment to the mystery destination.

**Hello, everyone. It has been AGES since I've been on here, no thanks to a crashed computer. :/**

**I am the proud owner of a new shiny RED laptop now though, so all is better!  
**

**I preordered Resident Evil 5, got it on the day it came out and I must say...it's awesome! I enjoyed the gameplay, but the storyline still leaves me with something to be desired. I'm just glad Jill isn't really dead, but I got to wondering what must she think of all of this, you know!?**

**This may be a two or three chapter story, just to get me back in my groove. If any of you still love me, please read and review! It feels good to be back online :)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Chris looked so dashing in his tuxedo, it almost reminded Jill of James Bond. His muscular physique was new to her, though she found nothing wrong with it. They walked slowly down the steps, her heels clicking in unison with their steps. The black limo that awaited them made Jill's jaw drop. Where could they possibly be going?

"Chris, a limo? You didn't have to do this."

His smile was mischievous, his eyes had a boyish sparkle like when they had first met so long ago. It gave Jill butterflies.

"I didn't."

Without another word allowed, Chris opened the door and gently ushered the lady into the exquisite leather seats.

The following weeks after the Kijuju incident were quite hectic for both of them. Jill, who was supposed to be dead, returns with Chris back to the United States. Needless to say, the BSAA had quite a few questions since Chris was involved with both the death/disappearance of Jill and the discovery that she was alive. Then, of course, there was the reports that were required to be filed by both Chris and Sheva. Jill was also required to write a report after she became affiliated again with the BSAA.

There was also the emotional effects that the agents dealt with. Jill wasn't in control of her body for two years, and her dreams terrified her. Jill was traumatized, but not in a way like she was initially during the Mansion Incident. Chris was unsure of how he could help her, going through turmoil with her while she had the night terrors. The only thing that he could do as a constant was provide her with shelter, possessions, and transportation. She had lost almost everything since her "death."

Normally shopping was like pulling teeth for him, but he actually enjoyed taking Jill shopping. She used to have to beg him to go with her, but having her back made him so thankful for even the things he hated. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her, nothing he ever wanted to miss out on again.

"Do you want some wine?" Chris asked her as they glided smoothly down the road.

Jill's eyes carefully looked out the window, then around the interior of the limousine.

"Only if you tell me where we're headed, Redfield."

He playfully shrugged as if he had no clue, and she gave him a playful nudge on the arm.

"C'mon! You're driving me crazy."

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, they turned the corner and they were at the Brady Theatre. The Brady Theatre is a venue rented out to companies for a plethora of purposes, from weddings to Broadway musicals to political campaign parties. It was lit up, as if there was some kind of party, and there were cars everywhere. They pulled up to the front of the theatre, and the door was opened for them.

"Mr. Redfield, Ms. Valentine, welcome to the Brady Theatre. My name is Joel. Please, come this way."

Jill gave Chris a questioning glance and he got out of the car, and then helped her out. He offered her his arm, and they followed the usher through the grand front doors, which were opened for the guests to enter. Inside the lobby was a fabulous red carpet that covered the marble floors. They followed Joel past the exquisite paintings that looked to be original Picassos and Dalis, framed in decadent gold frames. In essence, the building was made of luxury. Through the doorway they followed Joel through, was a large room full of tables and people. The only people who seemed to be there were military personnel and reporters.

"This will be your table, and your waiter will be with you shortly. Have a wonderful evening."

Chris pulled the Jill's chair out for her and seated her, where she sat and looked around in awe.

"Chris, what's going on?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

For so many weeks after that fateful day, Chris desperately wished that their roles had been reversed. Why did she have to take Wesker out the window? She could've easily just shot at him to distract him, which would've saved his life at that moment. He sprinted back down the stairs and climbed down through the rocks to try and find their bodies, but found nothing. He went back to the hotel room, distraught. Her clothes were still there, the laptop she had been using was there. He'd even thought about going back to the Spencer Estate and ending himself the same way that Jill had ended herself. He knew she wouldn't have wanted that for him though, and now he was especially glad he didn't. She looked stunning tonight.

A few other people were brought to the round table that they sat at, all of whom seemed very excited to meet _the _agents Valentine and Redfield. The meals were served, the only question asked if they preferred beef, pork, or chicken. After some wine and a dessert offer that Jill politely declined, a man approached the podium at the front of the room on the expensive looking stage.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you've enjoyed your meal. My name is Kevin Mantle, and I'm the director of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance--North American Branch."

Jill looked over sharply at Chris. "What's going on!?"

Chris smiled and put a finger to his lips.

"Shhh, the man is talking."

"Tonight is a very special night, as recently you may have heard with the cooperation with our West African branch we prevented a bioterrorist attack that potentially threatened the entire world. For those of you who aren't familiar with what we do at the BSAA, we prevent bio-terror attacks and ensure safety across the globe to prevent another incident such as Raccoon City. We have two agents who were founding members of the BSAA, who also survived the Raccoon City incident. Believe it or not, they were also involved in the prevention of the spread of Uruboros, and and saw the demise of Albert Wesker, one of BSAA's number one public enemies."

"Agent Chris Redfield with the aid of West Africa branch agent Sheva Alomar uncovered Albert Wesker's plans to spread the Uruboros virus, and also discovered Agent Jill Valentine who was originally believed to be dead, but was in fact a hostage of sorts to Wesker. Not only did the three of them prevent an outbreak, but without Agent Valentine's intelligence concerning the super soldier virus Wesker utilized, it's possible that he wouldn't have been stopped. Bioweapons are a very real threat to our country and other countries alike, and that was why BSAA was founded. We're lucky to have assets like Agents Valentine and Redfield to preserve our safety against this threat. Africa is very lucky to have Agent Alomar as well, and she has also been awarded a similar award in her country. Agents, if you could please come onstage. Give them a hand, everyone."

Everyone stood, with a roar of applause. Jill looked at Chris, stunned. She took his arm, still a bit shocked, and they walked up the stairs at the side of the stage and stood where their director told them.

The applause slowed, and the director resumed his speech.

"Though BSAA is still a relatively new organization, the awards that these agents will be receiving is a first. Field Marshal Devin Weddington of the United States Army is here to present them with the esteemed Bronze Star Medal for their heroic and meritorious services to our country. Field Marshal Weddington?"

The gruff man came up in his formal military attire, and approached Jill first. He handed Jill the medal with the gorgeous bronze star, and shook her hand.

"On behalf of the United States Army, we thank you for your service. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

He did the same for Chris, and then saluted them.

"Mr. Redifled, Ms. Valentine, is there anything you'd like to say?"

Chris approached the podium, and leaned up to the microphone.

"Thank you, I am very honored." It was obvious that Chris didn't like crowds very much.

Jill approached the microphone, and took a deep breath.

"Thank you for such an honor, but I wouldn't be here tonight if it wasn't for Agent Redfield. He saved me from Albert Wesker, and for that I am forever indebted to him. Every day is a gift, and you don't realize that until you've seen your own gravestone. I encourage all of you to keep that in mind. Thank you again."

Jill wiped a tear from her eye, and the rest of the evening blurred by with all of the handshakes and congratulations. It all seemed to surreal to her. She expected to wake up any second.

The night came to a close, and Chris and Jill were walking hand in hand to the waiting limousine. He helped her into the car, and he closed the door with a smile.

"Hell of a surprise, huh?"

Jill smacked him, and he laughed.

"What?"

Jill rolled her eyes.

"You're just ridiculous sometimes."

He smiled, and she scooted over close to him. Resting her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes in the dark interior. Chris put his arm around her, holding her close to him.

"This is just like old times, huh?"

He smiled again, and kissed the top of her head.

"Nope. This is completely different now."

**In all reality, Sheva, Chris, Jill, and Josh should all have gotten medals. Since Jill and Chris aren't just civilians anymore though, with the BSAA they're a pretty big deal. I think Jill should've gotten a purple heart as well since she kinda fell 100+ feet, and lived...but hey, the bronze star is enough. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I think I'll do another chapter or so. I'm kind of interested in seeing how Jill's 2 year absence has changed their relationship.  
**

**Don't forget to review! I love reading what you think.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

That day was so long ago, but still so fresh in Chris' mind. He could still feel the ice running through his blood as he watched Jill's delicate body gliding down towards the fog, until it vanished away. He must've yelled out the window at them for what seemed like years. Then, without a breath, he sprinted out of the house and climbed down through the mist and fog to the rocks where she and Wesker were sure to be lying. He never found anything though, not even a bloodstain. It was as if the fog sucked them up.

And for the first time in such a long time, Chris Redfield, the hardened STARS and BSAA member fell to his knees and sobbed. He nearly hyperventilated, and got so worked up that he got sick. It was all he could do to bring himself back up to the estate where her combat knife lay on the floor, along with her M92FS. For evidence's sake, he had to leave them where they were, but he stared at it all. The spent casings, the shattered glass from the bookshelf Wesker hurled her into, and from where she sacrificed herself to spare him.

The BSAA had so many questions, so many burning questions that seemed designed simply for Chris' torture.

For the two years he was left without her, she haunted his dreams at night. Her figure plunging, the entire scenario played over and over again. Sometimes in his dreams he would find her at the rocks with her crumpled body just shattered, lifeless. It would be all he could do to not just pick up his gun and go on a rampage; just shoot whoever looked at him wrong. He wanted someone else to hurt as much as he did, he wanted to know that someone else in the world has lost something that beloved. If he had to be the cause of such pain for another, so be it. But even in death Jill kept him from doing something stupid.

He'd found himself staring at the ceiling quite often lately, making shapes out of the texture. He could find lions, cars, and when all else failed a cloud. They only distracted him in-between his intervals monitoring Jill. He should've slept better with her next to him, but it was quite the opposite. Chris was afraid she would be gone again once he woke up.

He felt something strange, almost like something was shaking the bed. Looking around the dark room, there were no viable threats, unless there was a new kind of virus where the infected were invisible.

_God, that would suck._

Chris inched towards Jill in the bed, to hold her close. He slowly put his arm around her, and pulled her gently by her midsection to him. It was Jill who was shivering, shaking so violently that he thought she might be convulsing. He pulled her closer to him a bit faster, so he could either warm her up or calm her down.

"NOOOOOOO!!!" Jill shrieked, flailing helplessly and grabbing for nothing in the air.

"Jill? Wake up, it's me!"

"HELP! OH _GOD_, HELP!"

He shook her a bit, her arms still flailing crazily.

"JILL!" Chris' voice boomed through the silent room.

She jumped, extremely startled. It tore Chris apart to hear that tone of her voice. It was one he had never heard until she had come back. It sounded like the most helpless, pleading kind of terror. Like someone begging for their life. Someone like Jill was hardly ever afraid, and if she was it didn't sound like that. It was a new side of her that had to be evoked by Wesker.

Jill was breathing hard, and instinctively Chris wrapped his strong arms around her small frame.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Chris pulled her close and gently placed her head on his chest, wrapping his arms around her tightly, squeezing her and kissing the top of her head. They stayed like this for a moment, until Jill's breathing slowed down. It was the most peaceful and nerve-wracking thing, lying there in the pitch black. He loved to have her close, but hated the circumstances. He felt helpless, both in not knowing what caused her distress and not knowing what to do for her. At the moment, this was all he could think of to offer.

"Your heart is beating so fast." Jill said, sounding a bit muffled from her face in his chest.

"Because you scared me"

He felt Jill's muscles contract and then relax, like she was holding something back.

"I love you, Jill." He said, despite the silence. "I don't want to lose you again."

It was the first time he'd brought it up at all. He wasn't afraid to say anything, but he hadn't found the right time to say it.

She was silent, thinking. There wasn't any way for her to explain fully.

He continued.

"Why did you do it that day? Why didn't you just let him kill me?"

"I couldn't have just let him do that!"

"Why didn't you just shoot him? Anything but what you did."

"It was more important for you to live than me."

He was quiet, stunned. What does someone say to that?

"You survived when you thought I was dead," Jill said, tears heavy on her voice. "You continued the fight. If the roles were reversed, I don't think I could've done that."

"It's not like I didn't want to go out that window with you, Jill!"

"I know, but you're stronger than me. You're the super-hero. You're the one who we all can count on. Not me."

The words reverberated in his mind. He was hardly a hero, at least in his mind. Heroes absolved all the world's problems, and prevented them from ever happening again. The only time Chris was involved was when death and destruction was imminent.

"I count on you. You can't ever go again. I won't survive the next time it happens."

She smiled and a laugh escaped her saddened expression.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Chris got down closer to her face, where their noses touched and Jill smiled shyly the way she used to. Ever so gently, he touched his lips to hers and then moved back, exhaling deeply.

"I love you"

"I love you too."

It was silent for so long, so peaceful and resolved. It seemed like for once, they didn't have the shadow of Umbrella hanging over them. Wesker was dead. There was nothing that loomed over them. The bad people were dead and the good people were still alive. At that very moment in time, Chris Redfield's world spun in peace. It was something he wished he could bottle up and save.

It was just Chris, and Jill. Just the way it should be, and how it should always stay.

**I think this was a solid conclusion to my comeback story. haha**

**As far as ideas for a new story go, I'm open for suggestions. What do you think I'd be best at?**

**My dear, Chaed, I've been thinking about doing a fic concerning Wesker and what all he was up to in-between games. We're really only clued in on pieces. I also think it would be really fun to go all the way up until he "kills" Jill. However, I'm a bit undecided and I think I'd probably need your help to do so. You're much more Wesker-esque when it comes to his character than I am. :D**

**Please, please, review, and drop me any leads on stories! I'd love to hear your thoughts!  
**


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